High-radiation "hot spots" including a side drain that measured over 20 microsieverts/hour had been found in public schools in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, but the information only came to light after citizens' groups in the city demanded the disclosure to the city's Board of Education.
From Kyodo News (5/6/2012):
郡山の学校に「ホットスポット」 情報公開で判明
"Hot spots" in schools in Koriyama City, revealed by information disclosure request
福島県郡山市の市民団体「安全・安心・アクションｉｎ郡山」などは６日、郡山市教育委員会への情報開示請求などの結果、市内の少なくとも１４小学校と７中学校、５保育所で、年間被ばく線量で２０ミリシーベルトに相当する毎時３・８マイクロシーベルトを超える「ホットスポット」があったと発表した。
Citizen's groups in Koriyama City announced on May 6 that the request for information disclosure to the Koriyama City Board of Education revealed that at least 14 elementary schools and 7 junior high schools, and 5 nursery schools had "hot spots" where the radiation levels exceed 3.8 microsieverts/hour, equivalent of 20 millisieverts in annual cumulative radiation exposure.
開示資料によると市教委が１月、市内の小中学校に対し、定期的に測定している校庭や教室を除く、側溝や生け垣、雨水の排水口など敷地内８カ所の空間放射線量の測定を依頼。４月の測定結果では、地上１センチの高さで、中学校では側溝で毎時２０・４マイクロシーベルトなどを計測した。
According to the information disclosed, the Board of Education had asked the elementary schools and junior high schools in the city in January to measure the air radiation levels in 8 locations [at each school] including side drains, hedges, and drainage outlets. The measurement was in addition to the regular measurement of radiation levels in the school yards and classrooms. In the April measurement, one junior high school had a spot in the side drain at 20.4 microsieverts/hour at 1 centimeter off the surface.
Toyo Keizai, weekly economic magazine, had an article (5/2/2012) about the same topic - high radiation levels in schools in Koriyama. Even though the schools are supposed to have been "decontaminated", the reality is that all that's been done was to replace soil in the school yard, according to Toyo Keizai. Nothing has been done to the locations that tend to concentrate radioactive materials such as drains and water spouts.
Koriyama City finally decided to "decontaminate" those "hot spots" after the Golden Week holidays, but the decontamination work won't be finished before the annual spring athletic meets that these schools plan to conduct, just like last year and the year before.
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11 comments:
The people concerned with exposure to radiation should wear dosimeter badges. This type of badge is the size of a credit card, looks like any regular ID card, is worn in a pocket or on the person all the time. They can accumulate the individual dose for each person who wears one. Its the only way to know you have reached a limit of 20 mSv a year. Otherwise no proof of reaching a specific amount. Once a year, get a new card to start the next years radiation cycle. Simple, easy, inexpensive, and sold in Japan! Look up RADTriage or similar badges and keep a record of exposure before its too late to make any difference. We all care for the victims, but the exposure needs to be validated for each individual. If a person shows immediate limit reached, then they know they are in a dangerous area and can take appropriate action (move away, leave)...no more ignoring hoping the problem is someone else's to solve.
Many kids in Fukushima have been wearing glass badges.
Isn't this enough proof that Koriyama, Nihonmatsu, Fukushima City, and neighboring towns need to be evacuated immediately?
"The World Health Organisation (WHO) is failing in its duty to protect those populations who are victims of radioactive contamination."
"Independent WHO is organising a « Scientific and Citizen Forum on Radioprotection : from Chernobyl to Fukushima » on May 12th 2012 in Geneva."
http://nuclearfreeplanet.org/
For the life of me I cannot figure out why people cannot look at a radiation fallout map and understand that places are contaminated all over Japan. Koriyama and Fukushima should have been evacuated but that would have been too inconvenient for the government. Everyone on board with the it is okay mantra should be placed there to live. It is a prison.
OT : Thank you for the return of Ultraman.
@Chibaguy,
Off topic to the post but man you have made quite the shitstorm with your fundraiser and twitter fest with the Japanprobe folks. You really shot both your feet off with that.
You should have left it all alone and let them say what they will. You probably have only now realized, after it is too late, that you are simply feeding the fire for your opposition by taking any action. In the process you lose all credibility with your audience. The best action in these types of scenarios is always no action. You should know this.
As for the actions of the JapanProbe guys, they are a group of bully internet tough guys who refuse to believe anything is dangerous in Japan. I imagine they feel this way because the thought of their precious dream land Japan becoming a hazard would mean they would have to retreat to their former non-gaijin lives in their home countries. Going from Charisma-man do just a normal joe with no career is not an appealing thought so they will do/say anything they can do defend their NIPPON.
I say to hell with all of these types (Japan probe, Daniel Kahl, Tokyocooney, etc). If they want to feel that way fine but do not shit on folks who have differing opinions. I will say though that there has been a fair amount of actual fear mongering by those looking to profit so that point is taken. But in reality the fear is justified due to the magnitude of this ongoing disaster and the deception by all parties (government, TEPCO, media) involved.
ps:
Wtf, is with this fat American Mark guy on twitter "you threatened my family". I saw your tweets and while they were a little creepy (wtf, are you thinking by doing that anyway?) they do not appear to be threats to me. He is obviously American. If you look at his child you are probably a pedo also by his US standards.
I will finally add that I agree, if you are so concerned for your kids that you want to leave Japan why don't you just up and leave? I lost nearly all my belongings and career when I left Japan due to Fukushima and while I am still hurting from the loss I feel I made the right choice for me. If you feel the danger to be so high and affecting your kids get the fork out of there.
Anonymous for this post....
The Kyodo News writes of ''"hot spots" where the radiation levels exceed 3.8 microsieverts/hour, equivalent of 20 millisieverts in annual cumulative radiation exposure.'' This is true if the radiation is coming from a solid lump, but in this case, the radiation is coming from dust and other tiny particles washed there by the rain. These particles will not stay there, but will be blown around by the wind and breathed, or perhaps blown onto food and eaten. Internal radiation exposure is much more harmful, as cellular DNA as close as it can be to the source of radiation. A dosimeter badge is useless in this situation, so reporting the cumulative radiation is not helpful. I hope the Kyodo News reporters figure this out soon. ;-) An example comes from this video taken at Kashiwa hospital, which is 200 meters from a garbage ash dump.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTbjRuXoZ5E&feature=plcp
I just sadly think of the toddlers who take into their mouth some little bit of that goo and swallow it. Maybe worth several tons of radioactive "share the pain" school lunch, if they are unlucky. If they get ill, the doctors will tell their parents that it's just psychological, as always...
OT: I second Helios :)
Yes, I second Chibaguy...I have been watching the sky, hoping for the return of Ultraman! Glad to see him back!
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